A grain-by-grain atlas of the planet
Over 400 sand samples, each photographed under a microscope. Tap any pin to explore.
The Collection
What is The Sand Hunter?
A single grain of sand is a fragment of a mountain, a reef, a volcano or a seashell — a tiny record of where it came from. The Sand Hunter is a growing library of the world's sand, collected grain by grain and photographed under a microscope.
How the collection works
Each sample is gathered from a real place — a beach, desert, riverbank, lakeshore or volcanic field — logged with its coordinates, weighed for its dry density, and placed under the microscope. From those photographs we build a circular "medallion" portrait of the sand and estimate its character: its setting, its grain shape, and its dominant minerals.
Everything here comes from genuine samples and genuine measurements. Where a property is inferred from the imagery, location and density rather than laboratory analysis, it is marked AI estimate — an honest best-guess, not a lab result.
Reading a sample
Where the sand formed — Beach, River, Desert, Lake, Volcanic field, Glacial, or something in between.
Its make-up: Quartz, Carbonate, Volcanic, Mineral, Feldspathic, Lithic, Gypsum, Oolitic — or Mixed when no single kind dominates.
How travelled the grains are. Angular grains are young and close to their source; well-rounded grains have been tumbled by wind or water for a long time.
How much a fixed scoop weighs — heavier sands are rich in dense minerals (magnetite, garnet); lighter ones are full of porous shell or pumice.
Support the project
The Sand Hunter is a labour of love, powered by samples mailed in from around the world. If it brought you a moment of wonder, you can buy me a coffee ☕ — it helps keep the microscope humming.